Brett Ratner Drops His Libel Suit Against Rape Accuser

Director Brett Ratner is seen during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival at Nice Airport.
Photo: Marc Piasecki/GC Images

Brett Ratner has dropped his libel suit against Melanie Kohler, the woman who accused him of rape in a Facebook post in October of 2017. “This is a win for women everywhere,” Kohler’s attorney Roberta Kaplan said in a statement to Deadline. “We are proud of our client, who stood by her statement and stood up for herself in court, and appreciate Mr. Ratner dismissing this case.” The suit had been filed the same day that the Los Angeles Times reported a story in which six women, not including Kohler, accused Ratner of sexual misconduct. Martin Singer, the attorney for Ratner, said in an initial statement to Deadline, “Since Ms. Kohler’s attorney has stated that her client’s memories are cloudy and unclear about alleged events from more than a decade ago, Mr. Ratner agreed to dismiss his lawsuit.” But later the law firm retracted that statement and instead issued a comment from Ratner himself that was far more simple: “I’m happy that the matter has been resolved.”